We believe that we are all brothers and sisters who share a common heritage as spiritual beings experiencing a physical existence. We also believe that hatred, fear and intolerance have no place in spiritual practice as they are grounded in physicality. It is through sharing our diverse perceptions of Spirit that we are enriched and break down the barriers which separate us allowing us all to express our full potential as children of the One Light.

The Open International Interfaith Ministry ( OIIM ) is an Interfaith/Interspiritual community offering spiritual services, educational programs, and pastoral ministrations for persons of all religious traditions. Some of our members follow an Interfaith Faith Path while others follow a more traditional religious tradition. As a community, however, we affirm that God is love and that there are many paths to the Divine. We believe that prejudice and intolerance have no place in spiritual practice. We welcome all those who desire to understand experiences of psyche and spirit, and wish to dedicate themselves to personal spiritual growth and development in an atmosphere of respect, informed free-thought and enquiry.

The Open International Interfaith Ministry (OIIM) has charitable status in Canada and is recognized as a religious body by government. OIIM Revenue Canada Charitable #: 894805621RR0001. We offer to our members many traditional services such as weddings, funerals, baptisms, blessings, spiritual counselling and spiritual healing but from an Interfaith perspective. In addition, we also offer workshops and training allowing members to explore their spirituality and their spiritual gifts in a safe, reverent, respectful and supportive environment.

This is an Amazing song which speaks to the Interfaith - Interspiritual Perspective. Enjoy. Share it - It is a message that many need. It is called "The Gift of Acceptance" and was sung at the 2010 Nobel Prize Awards.

OIIM is inclusive, celebrating all religious traditions and diverse approaches to spirituality and understanding of the Divine. When we look at the beautiful, diverse world that God has created for us to live in, it is clear to us that God is a God of diversity. There is not just one type of tree, or one type of bird, or one type of flower, or one type of person. The world is populated with a multitude of forms which are trees, and birds, and flowers, and people in all shapes, sizes, and colour. This diversity makes the world more beautiful. If we believe that God is infinite, then one place to begin to understand God is to embrace the knowledge that in this diverse and beautiful world created by God, it is only natural that God should manifest the message of unconditional love in many ways to many peoples. There is one God, but it is a God of many faces. We in the interfaith ministry celebrate these many faces of God represented by different religious traditions and rejoice that we have been given such a beautiful and diverse world. We express this truth with the phrase, "The paths are many, the truth is one. Love thy neighbour."Rev. Barry King, Ph.D.

Monthy Message

Living a Joyful Life

Today’s world is a very busy place. At times life can feel chaotic and out of control. We can lose our sense of balance and find it very difficult to experience peace. How can we deal with it? How do we recapture our sense of peace and balance when surrounded by apparent chaos? Some of us deal with a busy world by going on automatic. This means we turn off or down our consciousness and sort of go with the flow. We chose not to make choices and in doing so also choose not to take responsibility. The illusion is that doing this makes things easier. The illusion is that turning life off will tune out the chaos we feel. Does it?

What happens when we stop being conscious? What happens when we tune out the world? We stop living! We become afraid! We stop contributing! We stop pursuing a purposeful life! We lose our joy and in doing so become unhappy - disconnected from the very reason we are here. The simple truth is that we are here to LIVE. We are here to move through life consciously taking responsibility for our choices and our thoughts. Yes our thoughts! It is important to understand that you are your thoughts. That your thoughts have great power in your life and that if you wish to transform your life you must transform your thoughts.

So - how do we recapture our sense of peace and balance when surrounded by apparent chaos? The answer to me is quite simple. We accept that we can only change the chaos around us by addressing the chaos that dwells within us. This is the only chaos that we actually have any control over. We cannot change other people but we can change ourselves. We can change our thoughts. We can change how we perceive our challenges. It is important to understand that it is our thoughts that control our capacity to experience joy and peace. It is not necessarily easy. As a matter of fact, it can be really hard. A spiritual journey is by nature one of challenges. We must learn to step out in a state of joy and excitement as we greet the gift of each new day. To engage ourselves in purposeful, joyful living, we must be aware of our thoughts and our connection to the world that we live in. Below are a few simple rules which will help you find peace and joy. - Positive thoughts promote JOYFUL LIVING!- Learn to be authentic! We must be true to ourselves! Love ourselves!!!!!!!!!- Nurture a sense of Gratitude! Gratitude for what we have now and who you are.- Understand that Life is Purposeful and that we can only move forward.- Live in the present. Accept that today we are creating tomorrow through our thoughts & actions.- Understand that we are all connected. We are in essence one and the same. - Act on your need for Balance.- Accept the Power of Choice to create JOY.- Experience the Freedom of the Gift of Acceptance.- Celebrate the Power of Ritual.- Acknowledge the Value of Change.-Understand that Each Day is a Gift.If you follow these simple principles, you will find in no time at all you will be living a more more joyful and peace filled life. I wish you Joy, Happiness and Peace.

Rev Barry

A Divison of the Prince Edward Island Interfaith Ministry Serving the Community since 1987